Libby carries Notts - and almost carries bat

Durham 244 (Gurney 6-61) and 83 for 3 lead Nottinghamshire 313 (Libby 144, Lumb 82) by 14 runs
Scorecard

Jake Libby went close to carrying his bat for Nottinghamshire in their Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Chester-le-Street.

But after batting for three full sessions to make 144 the 23-year-old opener was last out with the total on 313, a lead of 69.

The Durham openers then put on 67 but they ended the day on 83 for three, only 14 ahead, with Keaton Jennings unbeaten on 34. Mark Stoneman edged Steven Mullaney to slip for 39, then Scott Borthwick fell for nought when he padded up to a straight one from Harry Gurney.

With three overs left Imran Tahir came on and skidded a quicker one through an attempted pull to bowl Jack Burnham for three. Libby's progress has stuttered, partly through injury last year, since he made a century on debut at the end of the 2014 season. This was only his second hundred since, but easily beat his previous best of 108.

Durham were guilty of feeding his strength as he scored the vast majority of his runs through the leg side, with the most memorable of his 11 fours being a back-foot punch through mid-on.

Having reached 50 off yesterday's penultimate ball, he completed his 191-ball century just before lunch and was lbw to Paul Coughlin in the last over before tea.

Libby was badly missed on 87 by Michael Richardson, who had just been posted at leg gully, and survived a more difficult chance to Borthwick at slip on 116.

Otherwise he looked well capable of becoming the solid opener Nottinghamshire have craved, and they would have been in trouble without him, despite Michael Lumb's fluent 82.

Lumb edged a drive to second slip when Graham Onions went round the wicket, then Brendan Taylor sliced to backward point before Libby and Samit Patel set out to build steadily.

They had put on 82 in 32 overs when Jennings came on for a couple of overs before the new ball and his fifth ball skidded through low to bowl Patel for 37.

That sparked the loss of the last six wickets for 45 as Chris Read and the two Lukes, Wood and Fletcher, all fell to the new ball. Imran Tahir saw off Onions and Chris Rushworth, who finished with three wickets each, only to drive Borthwick to extra cover. Libby departed in the next over.